Brace and support for pelvic viscera.



S. M. ANDERSON. BRAGE AND SUPPORT FOR PELVIG VIS'OERA.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1913.

1,097,070.. Patepted May 19, 1914.

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WITNESSES IN VE/V TOR @klw.,z .;,w- I Um MM hm SARA MARIE ANDERSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BRACE AND SUPPORT FOR PELVIC VISCERA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1914.

Application filed august 21, 1913. Serial 110,736,044.

1 b (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, SARA Maura ANDER- son, a citizen of the United States, residing at 321 East Fifteenth street, Brooklyn, Kings county, State of New York, have invented a new and useful Brace and Support for the Pelvic Viscera, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object an appliance for holding the pelvic viscera in place or to prevent their misplacement when in a weakened or relaxed condition, as in the case of women after child-birth.

This appliance is in the form. of a brace or bandage encircling the upper part of the legs, a belt and a connection between the belt and the brace over the front of the abdomen, the device acting in a manner hereinafter described to brace the body, to support the womb and other viscera from falling and to exert a pull on the back at the waist line that causes the wearer to stand erect.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 isaperspective view of my invention, the parts being shown unbuckled and separated from each other. Fig. 2 is a side view of the device as applied to the body of a person. Fig. 3 is a front view of the device as applied to the body of a person.

Referring to the drawings, the belt A may be of any suitable construction and provided with any suitable means of adjustment, such as a buckle B at one end, in which the other end of the belt is adjusted and secured.

The brace C is preferably constructed as shown, in the form of an endless band, but itwill be evident that this particular form is not essential, my object being to provide a bandage about the upper part of the legs just below the buttocks that will serve to hold the legs together yet cause no discomfort or inconvenience to the wearer. With this object in view, I make the portions 0 of the brace C, that come against the legs at the sides of the person, somewhat firm and rigid, while the portions 0 connecting the two side portions 0 at the front and back, are elastic. The portions 0 are preferably padded and of soft material against the sides of the legs, and stiffened with featherbone 0 or the like, on the outside. The portions 0 are preferably made of elastic webbing, which renders the bandage or brace C self-adjusting, flexible and resilient, in order to prevent undue pressure from too tight :1.

. body.

bandage, and permit of easy walking, while maintaniing the brace sufliciently firm to hold the legs tightly together.

The belt A and the brace C are connected by a supporting band at the front of the As shown in the drawings, thesupporting band is formed by a strap a, depending from the belt A, and a strap 0 connected to the center of the front elastic portic-n c of the brace C, the straps a and c being connected by a buckle B which renders the supporting band a, 0, adjustable. This supporting band may be of any desirable width or shape and may be adjusted in any other suitable manner,the adjustment of the belt itself acting in a measure to adjust this supporting strap a, c.

The brace C may serve to hold depending hose-supporting straps (Z, that may be adjustably connected by buckles B to the unyielding portions 0 of the brace G, as shown in Fig. 2. To the lower ends of these straps (Z. garters D may be secured, but it is evident that other hose-supporting devices may be used at the lower ends of the straps (Z.

In applying my invention, the brace C is drawn up over the two legs to a convenient point to hold the upper part of the legs together, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the belt is adjusted and secured around the waist, and the straps a, c, adjusted and secured tight and firm over the abdomen. This draws up the front elastic portion 0 see Fig. 3, so that the elastic webbing bears up the front wall of the pelvic region and holds the viscera from falling.

It is a known fact in physiology, and made use of in obstetrics, that the extension of the legs causes a lessening of the pelvic space by muscular contraction. The con striction of the leg muscles by my brace C gives to the wearer the sense of extension of the legs and causes contraction of the abdominal muscles to which the pelvic viscera,-the womb, the bladder, etc,,are more or less attached, thus helping in their support. Moreover, the sense of extension of the legs by the firm bandaging of the muscles of the legs, conveys itself to the whole central part of the body, giving the wearer a buoyant feeling that in turn helps tone up the musclesof the abdominal and pelvic regions. Also, the tightening of the supporting strap a, 0, orthe tightening of the belt so that the supporting strap draws upon the belt, not only holds the front Wall of the pelvic region up, but also exerts a pull at the back of the waist line, which causes the wearer of my brace and support to assume an erect and healthy posture, instead of the settling down of the back and raising of the abdomen so frequent in persons having weakened walls or viscera in the lower cavities of the body.

I have shown and described the preferred form of brace and support but it will be evident that the details of construction may be considerably varied without departing from my invention.

I claim as my invention l. A body brace consisting of a. bandage adapted to encircle the two legs at the up per part, just below the buttocks, said bandage having stiifened portions at the sides to constrict the outer leg muscles when the bandage is snug.

2. A body brace consisting of a resilient bandage adapted to encircle the two legs at the upper part, just below the buttocks, said bandage having stiffened portions at the sides to constrict the outer leg muscles when the bandage is snug.

3. A body brace consisting of a bandage to encircle the two legs just below the buttocks, the said brace having unyielding portions at the sides and elastic portions connecting the unyielding portions, and means for drawing the front elastic portion up against the front of the pelvic region.

4L A body brace consisting of a bandage to encircle the two legs just below the buttocks, the said brace having stifiened portions at the sides and elastic portions c011- necting the stiifened portions.

5. A body brace consisting of a bandage to encircle the two legs just below the buttocks, the said brace having stiffened portions at the sides, and elastic portions connecting the stiffened portions, a belt and a supporting band connecting the bandage and the belt at the front of the wearer.

6. A body brace adapted to encircle the two legs and having stiffened portions whereby the outer leg muscles are constricted when the bandage is snug, a belt, a supporting band connecting the brace and belt, and means for adjusting the pull between the belt at the back of the waist line, and the brace.

SARA MARIE ANDERSON.

In the presence of- WILLIAM H. SAWKINS, Jr., VINFIELD T. BLISS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

